Saskatchewan's changing touring tastes

The 1990s were an exciting time for cycling in Saskatchewan. More people were buying bikes than ever before, and many of those people were joining cycling clubs. Clubs were springing up in small towns, while cities with existing clubs found themselves with a bewildering array of groups to join. BMX gained a popularity not seen in years. Randonneuring, kind of like touring, but without the comfortable accommodation and the fancy food, was attracting a lot of Saskatchewan cyclists.

Touring was changing, especially as mountain bikes became more popular. Mountain bikers treat touring as more of a destination activity: hang the bikes off the back of the car, drive to a popular resort or wilderness area, then spend your time perfecting your technique riding circuits of trails. Touring traditionalists preferred the call of the open road, using their bicycles much in the same way as some generations remember the family vacation: pack everything into the vehicle (in this case, your bike) and go explore the towns and sights along the highways and back roads for a week or longer. Still, it wasn't uncommon to see mountain bikes laden with gear being pedalled down the province's highways, or the occasional touring bike on a wilderness trail.


The Last Heritage Ride

The Great Saskatchewan Heritage Bicycle Tour made a final appearance in 1996, following a three-year absence. Starting in Rosetown, the cyclists rode to Biggar, Kerrobert and Kindersley before returning to Rosetown.

With the Heritage Tour gone, organizers began looking for an early-season event that had more appeal for destination-oriented cyclists.


Provincial Bike Festival

The Provincial Bike Festival in Fort Qu’Appelle debuted on the last weekend of May, 1997. Similar to an immensely popular Spoke Festival held in conjunction with the town of Qu'Appelle's "Capital for a Day" celebration twelve years earlier, cyclists began gathering at the Echo Valley Conference at Fort San on Friday night. Staff lit a huge fire for a marshmallow and wiener roast, while cyclists selected their rooms. Lightning silhouetted the hillsides and thunder echoed in the distance as they gathered around the fire to hear plans for the weekend’s cycling. The following morning dawned sunny and fresh after the previous night's rain, and the cyclists enjoyed riding under fair weather for the next two days.

One trip took cyclists through the scenic Qu'Appelle valley, then south to Indian Head for lunch before returning them through Qu'Appelle. Everyone got back in time to ride to downtown Fort Qu’Appelle for ice cream. Some even had enough energy for a ride around the lake before returning to the conference centre for supper. That night the group shared cycling stories, including tales of old heritage tours, around another bonfire.

The bike festival continued into the new millennium, alternating between weekends near the Victoria Day holiday.

Still, cyclists longed for the kind of adventure that could only be found on a longer trip, not during a weekend.

For more information about Saskatchewan's long and colourful cycling history, check out Pat Rediger's 2001 book, Riding with the Wind: The history of cycling in Saskatchewan (ISBN 0968196543 / 9780968196540 / 0-9681965-4-3), avaiable from the Saskatchewan Cycling Association or your local library branch (in Regina, in Saskatoon).